1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stethoscope system for self-examination using an Internet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a digital stethoscope system, which can diagnose the health condition of a patient by comparing a characteristic sound wave of a disease occurring in the body of a patient with a stethoscopic sound wave.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional stethoscope, another physician(s) except an attending physician cannot auscultate, or hear, a patient""s breathing sound directly by use of the stethoscope, resulting in different diagnoses according to the physician""s experience or subjectivity. Also, patients cannot hear the sound generated from their own bodies. Since the sound heard by the physician cannot be stored but are recorded in medical terms, it is not possible to objectively monitor a change in the patient""s condition. In the field of medical education, since students cannot hear the patient""s breathing sound simultaneously, the students cannot confidently diagnose the patient""s condition from the sound heard by the students themselves. Also, professors who are physicians, cannot accurately evaluate the students"" determination because they cannot auscultate parts of the patient""s body at the same time as the students. In accordance with recent development of remote medical examination using the Internet or information highway, exchange of stethoscopic sounds is indispensable. However, it is not possible to transmit a stethoscopic sound to a physician in a remote area by use of the conventional stethoscope. Also, since it is not possible to analyze the stethoscopic sound and to compare the stethoscopic sound with a characteristic sound of a disease, ordinary people other than physicians cannot use the stethoscope easily.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stethoscope system for self-examination, by which the health condition of a particular individual can be diagnosed by comparing characteristic sound waves classified by diseases with sound waves generated from various parts of the individual""s body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a remote medical examination system, by which sound waves generated from various parts of a particular individual""s body are transmitted to a medical specialist in a remote area using the Internet for remote medical examination.
To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a stethoscope system for self-examination using the Internet, the stethoscope system including a member""s digital stethoscope for measuring sound waves of various parts of a member""s body, connecting to a prescribed web address in accordance with the member""s instruction, transmitting the member""s current sound wave data, requesting for remote medical examination, and displaying an examination result input from the outside, a web server for storing the measured current sound wave data in a current sound wave database in response to the member""s request if the measured current sound wave data is received from the member""s digital stethoscope, examining the member""s health condition using the measured current sound wave data, disease sound wave data pre-stored in a disease sound wave database, and the normal sound wave data pre-stored in a normal sound wave database, connecting to the member""s digital stethoscope for transmission of the examination result, or transmitting member identification information, details for the request for remote medical examination, the member""s current sound wave data and the pre-stored member""s normal sound wave data to request a medical specialist for remote medical examination, a remote medical examination system for receiving the member identification information, details for the request for remote medical examination, the member""s current sound wave data and the pre-stored member""s normal sound wave data from the web server, performing remote medical examination by the medical specialist based on the received data, and transmitting the examination result to the web server by the medical specialist""s instruction, and a communication system for connecting the member""s digital stethoscope, the web server and the remote medical examination system with one another.
Also, the member""s digital stethoscope may include a sound tube for collecting sounds originated from various parts of the body, a microphone through which the collected sounds are input, a signal processor for digitally processing the signal input through the microphone, a first memory in which the operating program of the digital stethoscope is stored, a second memory in which the current sound wave data measured through the sound tube are classified by parts of the body and stored, an input button for instructing the measured sound waves to be input and specifying the storage location thereof, a transmitting/receiving button for instructing the measured sound waves to be transmitted and requesting the transmission of an examination result, a display portion for displaying the measured sound waves, disease sound waves and the examination result in accordance with the instruction of the transmitting/receiving button, and a controller operating by the operating program, for storing the measured sound waves at a predetermined location of the second memory according to the state of the input button, transmitting the measured sound waves of the second memory to the web server according to the state of the transmitting/receiving button, and receiving the examination result from the web server to be displayed on the display portion.
The communication system for connecting the member""s digital stethoscope and the web server is preferably a wireless mobile communication system.
Also, the communication system for connecting the member""s digital stethoscope and the web server is preferably a wired communication system.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital stethoscope including a sound tube for collecting sounds originated from various parts of the body, a microphone through which the collected sounds are input, a signal processor for digitally processing the signal input through the microphone, a first memory in which the operating program of the digital stethoscope is stored, a second memory in which the measured sound wave data by parts of the body output in the form of a digital signal from the signal processor is stored, a third memory in which disease sound wave data is stored, an input button for instructing the measured sound waves to be input and specifying the storage location thereof, an output button for instructing the measured sound waves, diseases sound waves and examination result to be output, a speakerphone for outputting the measured sound waves, diseases sound waves and examination result in the form of sound signals, a display portion for displaying the measured sound waves, disease sound waves and the examination result in accordance with the instruction of the output button, and a controller operating by the operating program, for storing the measured sound waves at a predetermined location of the second memory according to the state of the input button, sequentially outputting the disease sound waves of the third memory to the speakerphone or the display portion according to the state of the output button, and checking whether there is disease sound waves similar to the measured sound waves to extract the examination result regarding the presence or absence of a disease in the examined body to be output to the speakerphone or display portion.